You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After Cao Zhengchun left, Zhou Chen fell into deep thought.

Sending troops to Dayue was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen had already foreseen this when Zhou Yu offered his plan to trigger the two great dynasties, the Beast Dynasty. When the strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty increased to the point where it could contend with the two great dynasties, Zhou Chen would take the lead in sending troops to strike first.

Passive defense, waiting for the two dynasties to come knocking on his door, is not Zhou Chen's style.

Being passive means only getting beaten up, and Zhou Chen knows this better than anyone.

Furthermore, if we wait for the two great dynasties to attack us, the Great Zhou will face both dynasties simultaneously. Even if the Great Zhou's strength has increased considerably, it will still be under considerable pressure, which is not a wise move.

The wisest course of action would be to strike first, destroy one of the two great dynasties, and then deal with the remaining one.

In this way, Da Zhou can minimize the risk and make things easier without having to exert himself so much.

Now, the Great Zhou is strong enough to contend with the two great dynasties, and the two great dynasties have just experienced the Beast Dynasty and are in a weak state, which is the best time for the Great Zhou to send troops to attack.

Zhou Chen was originally considering whether to send troops to Dayan or Dayue first, but now that Lü Bu had gone to Dayue first, Zhou Chen no longer needed to choose and decided to attack Dayue first.

"With Lu Bu, plus Dian Wei and Cao Youxiang, these three Reincarnation Realm Venerables who are capable of fighting beyond their level should be enough to deal with Da Yue!"

Zhou Chen was deep in thought.

Zhou Chen knew that the outcome of the campaign against Dayue would depend on top-tier combat power.

As for the army led by Zhou Yu, it was only an auxiliary force; the most important thing was to rely on Lü Bu and Dian Wei.

If Lu Bu, Dian Wei, and the other two can handle the Reincarnation Realm Venerable of Great Yue and the strength of Great Yue, then everything will be fine.

However, if Lü Bu and Dian Wei cannot overcome the strength of the Great Yue, then Zhou Yu's army will be of little use.

……

Southern Xinjiang.

Governor's Office.

Zhou Yu sat upright in the main seat, looking at the imperial edict in his hand.

Below, on the left and right sides, besides the seated generals Taishi Ci and Gao Shun, there was also Dian Wei, the commander of the Imperial Guards who had come with the imperial edict.

After reading the imperial edict in his hand, Zhou Yu looked up at the crowd below and said, "Gentlemen, His Majesty has issued an edict ordering us to immediately send troops to Dayue. Commander Dian will also be accompanying the army on the expedition."

Zhou Yu's words startled Taishi Ci, Gao Shun, and other generals present, their eyes burning with fervor.

As a general, fighting on the battlefield, engaging in battles, and expanding territory is something every general dreams of, and Taishi Ci and Gao Shun were no exception.

Zhou Yu stood up and glanced at everyone; "Now, I hereby issue the order: the army shall immediately march on Dayue, with General Taishi as the vanguard commander, to pave the way and build bridges for the army..."

"Follow the order."

Taishi Ci, Gao Shun, and all the other generals present stood up and bowed to accept the order.

The army was already in full force and ready for battle the moment Lü Bu went to Dayue.

Now, once the military order is given, the army can immediately set out.

……

Dai Viet.

royal palace.

After listening to the reports from the ministers, the Emperor of Yue's face turned extremely gloomy.

This beast dynasty had a significant impact on Dai Viet; it was arguably the most severe beast dynasty Dai Viet had ever suffered, and also the one that caused the greatest losses.

There are more than twenty prefectures that have been captured by the Beast Dynasty, not counting those prefectures that have lost most of their cities to the Beast Dynasty.

The number of civilians who died or were injured in the disaster was countless, and even the army suffered more than 500,000 casualties.

It should be noted that the entire Dai Viet only had a little over two million elite troops to offer, and this loss of a quarter of their forces meant they were wiped out.

In addition, nine generals at the Life and Death Realm died in battle, hundreds of generals below the Life and Death Realm were killed or wounded, and one royal retainer also died.

Such casualties cannot be described as merely "significant losses".

Furthermore, due to the influence of the Beast Dynasty, all the demons and monsters that had been lurking within Dayue also emerged and stirred up trouble, plunging the entire Dayue into a considerable upheaval.

Now, although the Beast Dynasty has been basically suppressed, the aftereffects of the Beast Dynasty have only just begun.

Disaster relief, resettlement, and restoration of the prosperity of the former empires under the Beast Dynasty... all of this will deplete the national strength of the entire Great Yue.

The Yue emperor had a gloomy face and was deep in thought.

The ministers below also stood there silently.

The ministers were well aware that the beastly dynasty that Dai Viet had encountered this time had caused the entire Dai Viet to suffer heavy losses.

Putting everything else aside, the nine Life and Death Realm generals who died in battle, as well as that elder, have already caused the overall strength of the Great Yue to decline by a significant margin.

It should be noted that the Great Yue's retainers are all Venerables of the Reincarnation Realm, plus nine generals of the Life and Death Realm. Even with the Great Yue's profound foundation, it cannot withstand such casualties.

This does not include the deaths and injuries of other generals, the casualties of the army, or the losses suffered by the people in various aspects.

If we take all the factors into account, it will probably take several years, or even more than a decade, for Great Yue to recover from the losses incurred by the Beast Dynasty.

Emperor Yue's expression darkened for a moment, then he looked up at one of the ministers below him; "How is the inspection by the guards going?"

"What caused this Beast Dynasty to rise up, and what were the specific reasons?"

The Yue Emperor asked directly.

This beast horde was the largest in the history of Da Yue, with almost all the wild beasts and monsters in Da Yue rioting, which was quite unusual.

The Yue emperor did not believe it was a coincidence.

Moreover, when the royal guards were dealing with the seventh-tier demon, they learned from the demon that someone had harmed its offspring and that the demon had come seeking revenge.

This is clearly something someone deliberately sabotaged.

The Yue Emperor wanted to see who was plotting against his Great Yue, inciting the Beast Dynasty and plunging his entire Great Yue into turmoil.

"Your Majesty, our patrol guards have discovered that someone has cruelly murdered the offspring of that seventh-tier demon and deliberately lured those seventh-tier demons towards our Great Yue Imperial City."

"Furthermore, I have also discovered that in the deep forests and mountains of my Great Yue, there are animal-attracting incense..."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the other ministers in the hall changed slightly.

These ministers, who were able to hold such high positions, were certainly not ordinary people.

Although the ministers had anticipated this, they were still somewhat shocked when they actually heard the news about the patrol guards.

This beast dynasty was actually designed by humans.

Who on earth is so bold as to use the beast dynasty to plot against and harm the entire Da Yue?

Several ministers harbored suspicions.

The Yue emperor on the dragon throne had an even more frighteningly gloomy face.

What is the animal-attracting incense?
This is something specifically designed to lure wild beasts and demonic creatures. Any wild beast or demonic creature that smells the beast-attracting incense will become excited, frenzied, and irritable, thus causing a riot. Emperor Yue did not expect that the scheming person not only harmed the offspring of a seventh-tier great demon, but also used beast-attracting incense. No wonder Great Yue suffered such a large-scale beast horde.

"Have you found out who's behind this?"

The Emperor of Yue stared at the minister, a chilling glint in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, the person behind this Beast Dynasty is Cao Youxiang, who is the Third Supervisor of the Eastern Depot of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"Currently, this person is hiding in my Great Yue, and I am doing my best to track him down."

"However, this person is very strong and has a unique skill. He has escaped from my patrol guards several times."

The minister bowed and said.

The Patrol Guard was a privileged department of Da Yue, equivalent to the Imperial Guard of Da Zhou. Any disturbance within Da Yue's territory could not escape the Patrol Guard's investigation.

Even Cao Youxiang, the third supervisor of the Eastern Depot, was still discovered by the patrol guards.

"what?"

"So, this time, the beast dynasty of my Great Yue was plotted against by the Great Zhou behind the scenes?"

Upon hearing the minister's words, the Emperor of Yue's eyes almost blazed with fury.

Originally, the Yue Emperor thought it was the work of some demons and monsters hidden in the shadows within the Great Yue or other dynasties, but he never expected it to be the work of the Great Zhou, an ant that the Yue Emperor had never taken seriously.

What a shame.

In order to suppress this beast dynasty, the Great Yue suffered heavy losses, even losing one of its reincarnation realm elders.

Emperor Yue never imagined that the one who would cause such heavy losses to his Great Yue was the Great Zhou, an indigenous dynasty that he had never taken seriously.

Not only the Yue Emperor, but also the ministers beside him were surprised to find that the Great Yue's beast dynasty was actually a scheme orchestrated by the Great Zhou, an indigenous dynasty that had just merged into the Great Wilderness.

Several ministers had long suspected that the Beast Dynasty was orchestrated by a rival dynasty of Dai Viet or by some cults within Dai Viet. Some ministers even suspected the influence of some powerful families within Dai Viet.

But who would have thought that the one plotting against Dayue was actually the Great Zhou, an indigenous dynasty that had never been valued by anyone.

"it is good."

"What a magnificent Zhou Dynasty!"

"How dare they scheme against my Great Yue like this, causing such heavy losses to my Great Yue? They are courting death."

The Yue Emperor's face was filled with a chilling aura.

Emperor Yue considered all sorts of possibilities, but he never imagined that the one plotting against his Great Yue was the Great Zhou.

It wasn't that the Yue Emperor looked down on the Great Zhou; it was simply that, logically speaking, a newly integrated indigenous dynasty, facing attacks from two major dynasties simultaneously, would not have the strength to scheme against the Great Yue.

The minister in charge of the patrol guards hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, it has been more than two months since we received any news about the army that marched on Great Zhou."

"Uh!"

Upon hearing this, the Yue Emperor's expression immediately turned serious.

Previously, due to the Beast Dynasty incident, the Yue Emperor sent a Samsara Realm retainer to support the army attacking the Great Zhou, and then paid little attention to the front-line army.

After all, in Emperor Yue's view, a native dynasty that had just merged into the Great Wilderness, even if it had some unexpected strength, would absolutely not be able to stop a Venerable of the Reincarnation Realm.

Sending a Venerable One at the Reincarnation Realm to support the army will make dealing with the Great Zhou no longer a problem.

However, after this minister spoke, the Yue emperor also realized that he had indeed not received any news of the army attacking the Great Zhou for more than two months.

Emperor Yue looked at the minister and asked in a deep voice, "Have your patrol guards received no news of the attack on the Great Zhou army in the past two months?"

The patrol guards were the eyes and ears of the Yue Emperor, and even within the army, there were spies within the patrol guards.

This was not because the Yue emperor did not trust the military generals, but rather because, as an emperor, this was a necessary precaution.

No emperor wants anything to be outside his control.

The minister in charge of the patrol guards shook his head; "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I have been patrolling the garrison for more than two months and have not received any news of the front-line troops, nor have I been able to contact them."

"This is what the minister in charge of the patrol guards said in a deep voice."

As was the case in the past, every few days, the patrol guards' spies in the army would send back messages.

However, more than two months have passed, and the patrol guards' spies in the army have not sent back any news. The patrol guards have also tried to contact these spies, but there has been no response. This has forced the minister to report to the Yue Emperor.

"Oh!"

"It's been over two months, and even your patrol garrison hasn't received any news of the frontline troops?!"

Upon hearing this, the Yue Emperor's face immediately darkened.

No news came from the army, not even from the secret agents of the patrol guards.

This shows what?
The Yue Emperor knew without a doubt that something had happened to the army attacking the Great Zhou at the front.

The Yue emperor's face was so gloomy it was almost frightening.

Emperor Yue couldn't understand how the army at the front line could still encounter problems when he had sent a Venerable of the Reincarnation Realm to support the army against the Great Zhou.

Could it be that the Great Zhou Dynasty also has a Venerable One at the Reincarnation Realm?
The Yue Emperor looked at the minister with a gloomy expression and said sternly, "Immediately send someone to investigate what has happened to the army attacking the Great Zhou at the front. I want to know the results within a day."

If something really goes wrong with the army attacking Da Zhou at the front, then Da Yue's losses this time will be even greater.

As soon as the Yue Emperor finished speaking, a terrifying aura descended, enveloping the entire imperial palace.

"How dare you! Who is so bold as to attack the imperial city of my Great Yue?"

"boom……"

A series of loud noises came from outside.

The Yue Emperor and the ministers present all changed their expressions and vanished from the spot.

When Emperor Yue rushed out of the main hall, he saw that almost all the guards in the palace had collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood. Only a small number of the strong guards were unharmed, but their faces were as pale as paper.

Moreover, the protective formation for the imperial city has also been activated.

"Damn, what's going on?"

Seeing all this, the Yue Emperor's face was so gloomy it was almost as if water was about to boil over.

At this moment, a commander in golden armor rushed to the Yue Emperor and urgently reported, "Your Majesty, a powerful enemy has attacked our Great Yue Imperial City. The guards are unable to withstand the attack and have already activated the city's defensive formation."

"However, the newcomer is too strong. The city's protective formation is no match for them and is about to break."

The commander said, trembling with fear.

The newcomer's strength was truly terrifying. Before even entering the imperial city, the mere arrival of his oppressive aura caused most of the palace guards to fall to the ground.

If it weren't for the fact that his strength as a commander was that of a king in the Life and Death Realm, which was quite considerable, he probably wouldn't have been able to withstand the oppressive force of the opponent's arrival.

what?
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yue immediately took to the air and looked in the direction from which the imposing aura was coming from.

The other ministers followed closely behind, rising into the air with Emperor Yue and looking over.